He attended a gathering of Xolobeni residents. An Australian company is eyeing the region to mine for titanium.

But many locals are opposed to this.

Spoor was eventually released on a warning.

“[Certainly] there are very powerful forces who’ll probably welcome the mine. But the people we are concerned about are the ones we believe have the right to say no, the people who own the land and the people who will be directly affected by the mine. It’s their voices that they’re trying to drown out.”

Xolobeni activist Nonhle Mbuthuma says many of the local people fear they will be kicked off their land if mining is given the green light.

“The African National Congress, in Parliament, is talking about land expropriation without compensation, but what they’re doing to us... they’re expropriating us.”